There are numerous circumstances in which a patient cannot breathe for himself due to trauma, shock or other conditions. It is then necessary to force air or oxygen into and out of the patient's lungs. In such cases, a paramedical person is often faced with the need to accomplish this before or during transportation to a medical center.
It is not sufficient, however, to simply place a mask coupled to an airbag or oxygen supply over the patient's mouth, because the forced-in gas can inflate the stomach and cause material to regurgitate from the stomach and enter the lungs, a very hazardous and life-threatening condition. The mask alone is also insufficient in many cases because the tissues in the mouth and pharyneal area are quite often collapsed, partly or totally blocking the air passage, which is frequently not obviated by standard oral pharyngeal airways.
It is therefore desirable to intubate the trachea with an endotracheal tube (with a cuff in older children and adults) and to ventilate the lungs directly. Unfortunately, the skill to successfully perform endotracheal intubation under the conditions of an emergency is frequently lacking in paramedical personnel, and therefore an easier and more reliable device for securing the airway is necessary. However, there has been no device available which is safely and reliably usable under a variety of conditions to provide the necessary ventilation. Examples of devices previously developed for related purposes are found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,848,604 Harantuncian et al
3,905,361 Hewson et al
4,090,518 Elam
4,093,484 Harrison et al
4,100,246 Frisch
4,114,625 Onat
4,166,468 Haynie
However, each of these has shortcomings which prevent them from fully satisfying all the needs of an emergency ventilating apparatus.